Azerbaijan GP: Why F1 Race is on a Saturday

Cory is a writer at GIVEMESPORT, calling on more than 10 years of experience covering a range of subjects for a host of different audiences, having graduated an Anglia Ruskin journalism degree with first-class honours.

Before GIVEMESPORT, Cory has written about all things Norwich City for the Eastern Daily Press, including heavily researched story features into the backstories of players and staff, and also covered Tottenham Hotspur for SpursWeb.

Cory has also covered the bus and coach industry for a trade magazine, the energy sector for multiple consultancies, where he's led on news, features, marketing, and website, and social media management.

Alongside football, Cory loves Formula 1, tennis, and the NFL.

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Formula 1 fans are set to have to adjust their weekend plans for this year's Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

For as long as most fans can remember, Sunday has been synonymous with race day across the Formula 1 calendar and the wider world of motorsport. There have been the odd exceptions, such as going racing on a Saturday in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia in 2024 because of Ramadan, but all in all, Sunday has always been race day.

The introduction of the Las Vegas Grand Prix did change things a little, with that race taking place on a Saturday local time, but for fans in Europe, even that has still unfolded on the traditional Sunday thanks to the time difference.

The familiar routine is set to be broken in Baku this weekend. However, as the runaway Drivers' Championship leader, Kimi Antontelli looks to battle back from a disappointing performance in qualifying around the streets of the Azerbaijani capital, he will be doing so a day earlier than usual.

While Antonelli could manage no better than 16th after hitting a wall in first qualifying, there was far better news for his Mercedes teammate George Russell, who took pole position on Friday.

The Brit also warned fans not to write off his colleague despite his lowly placement on the grid.

"You can't discount Kimi. You know, started 19th in Monza, and now he's in 16th, so, yeah, he should be leading by a few laps early this time," he joked.

The event is taking place on a Saturday, instead of the traditional Sunday, following a request from the Azerbaijan government.

Sunday 27th September is Azeri Remembrance Day, dedicated to military personnel of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces that lost their lives during the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War. The date is the day that the war started, with it lasting for 44 days.

With previous remembrance days having featured nationwide moments of silence, it is understandable why noisy F1 cars blasting around the streets of Azerbaijan's biggest city would perhaps not be all that appropriate.

With the 27th of September falling on a Monday next year, F1 will be back to its traditional Sunday slot in Baku for the 2027 season.